Three parties view merger before end 2005

Three Moroccan political parties forming the Socialist alliance, the Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS), the Socialist Democratic Party (PSD) and Al Ahd Party announced in Rabat Tuesday plans to merge in a single party before end 2005.

The three party leaders said at a press conference they have worked out a phased out strategy leading gradually to the merger.

The measures include intensification of contacts between them, before an enlarged national colloquy in April to probe and adopt the new party strategy and work plan.

The three parties say they are convinced that Morocco needs to streamline politics, given the ongoing democratic transition and challenges it poses for the state and the society. They also called for the unification of "democratic forces" and for holding a national encounter to examine the creation of a union in the perspective of the 2007 elections to which the three parties plan to present joint candidates.

The alliance is also projecting to publish a single newspaper and has set up a commission to examine the draft law on political parties which, they said, is marred by some flaws like the interference in parties' internal management while comprising some assets like the ban to create political parties on religious, ethnic or linguistic bases.